CASE STUDY
Rapidly Expanding Emergency Shipping for the Greater Good
Discover how ShipStation Global partnered with Greater Good Charities to address their emergency shipping challenges.
Summary
When disaster strikes, every second counts. That's why Greater Good Charities (GGC), a global nonprofit serving both humans and animals, began partnering with ShipStation Global to address their emergency shipping challenges as well as working on a longer-term disaster logistics strategy for shipping success. By empowering this global force for good with large-scale expedited shipping and cost-effective emergency logistics operations, ShipStation Global enabled GGC to mobilize aid with the speed, precision and scale demanded in response to complex and urgent crises.
Greater Good Charities (GGC) is a 501(c)(3) global nonprofit organization that recognizes crises do not happen in isolation — human, animal and environmental needs are deeply connected. Greater Good Charities listens and mobilizes in response to these needs not just independently but also at their intersections to amplify the good. With a four-star rating on Charity Navigator and a Platinum Seal on GuideStar, GGC has invested more than $750 million in aid, funding and programmatic support since its inception in 2007, assisting charitable partners in 121 countries.
GGC relies on rapid, agile and large-scale shipping solutions for its time-critical disaster response efforts. Over the past year, GGC has partnered with ShipStation Global for its third-party logistics (3PL) needs.
For example, during the 2024 devastation wrought by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, GGC, with support from ShipStation Global, deployed more than 140 trucks and five planes across five U.S. states. This joint effort resulted in the delivery of nearly 3,000 tons of supplies valued at over $10 million — meeting the needs of thousands of people and animals in devastated communities that were often isolated from any other source of aid.
"In a disaster, everything is important and urgent. [ShipStation Global] has provided us with greater flexibility and responsiveness."
— Shawn Jenkins, VP of Services at Greater Good Charities
A Growing Need for Large-Scale Shipping
GGC was experiencing a rapid increase in emergency shipping volume and needed a partner that could scale with them. They also needed cost-efficient LTL freight and truckload shipping solutions. As volume increased, so did the need for GGC to keep its shipping expenses under control. GGC realized they had limited insight into their logistics and needed real-time tracking for visibility and coordination. They also needed to increase speed and precision to deliver high-impact rapid crisis response.
ShipStation Global has helped implement a comprehensive disaster logistics strategy that focuses on scalability, improved tracking and visibility for logistics management, and fast, targeted mobilization. As a result, ShipStation Global has significantly enhanced GGC's ability to provide timely assistance.
Challenge 1: Insufficient Scalability and Adaptability
Shipper Challenge
With a nearly 100% year-over-year volume increase in 2024 and a nearly 1700% increase since 2020, GGC needed a trusted shipping partner that could keep pace with their rapidly expanding and often variable shipping requirements.
ShipStation Global Solution
ShipStation Global analyzed GGC's existing shipping operations and helped it build a much more centralized system that could more easily scale its LTL freight and truckload shipping up or down as needed. Our advanced technology, flexibility and ability to quickly adapt also helped GGC with inconsistent shipping volumes day to day and week to week.
"[ShipStation Global] can handle our inconstancy. Their flexibility in our chaos has been super helpful."
— Shawn Jenkins, GGC VP of Services
Challenge 2: High Transportation Costs
Shipper Challenge
Before partnering with ShipStation Global, GGC had challenges identifying rate discrepancies, accurate demand forecasts and competitive pricing solutions.
ShipStation Global Solution
ShipStation Global introduced its transportation management system (TMS), eliminating the need for multiple platforms. This enabled GGC to consistently obtain efficient rates and view full shipping data for improved budgeting and forecasting.
"The communication consistency on pricing with [ShipStation Global] has been fantastic. We now have a dashboard that lets us see the price per pound or mile, and we can track our costs each quarter. We know we're getting great deals based on average national rates and we can also now forecast demand and plan ahead."
— Shawn Jenkins, GGC VP of Services
Challenge 3: Limited Tracking and Visibility
Shipper Challenge
GGC needed real-time shipment updates to keep tabs on everything that was moving during emergencies. They were often unable to obtain an ETA on shipments and also struggled to get support outside of business hours.
ShipStation Global Solution
By leveraging our TMS, GGC obtained full visibility into every aspect of every shipment. This real-time tracking cut down on wasted time manually following up on the status of shipments. Having a single, always-available point of contact with ShipStation Global also gave GGC access to vital shipment information at all times.
"Before [ShipStation Global], we were reliant on individual emails and phone calls to chase down a truck. Now we have full visibility as well as a specific point of contact we can always reach. When we need tracking or other information before or after hours, [ShipStation Global] gives us much more capability, which has helped us tremendously."
— Shawn Jenkins, GGC VP of Services
Challenge 4: Delayed Disaster Response
Shipper Challenge
When disaster strikes, every second counts. GGC aid delivery often encountered delays that were unacceptable when crisis response was on the line. They sought a solution to increase speed and become more agile so they could more quickly deliver aid where it was needed.
ShipStation Global Solution
ShipStation Global worked with GGC to analyze patterns on where relief loads were being sent more frequently over the years. Using these insights, ShipStation Global helped GGC obtain warehousing space in strategically selected locations. These facilities allowed the pre-staging of critical supplies to support a dramatically shortened disaster response in many areas. Shawn Jenkins, GGC VP of Services "With [ShipStation Global's] help, we're now able to pivot quickly during disasters."
Key Results
- Successfully handled rapid volume spikes
- Improved speed and accuracy on large-scale expedited shipments
- Obtained full shipment visibility and real-time tracking
- Gained control of forecasting and optimizing shipping costs
Emergency Logistics to Positively Impact More Lives
The logistical relationship between GGC and ShipStation Global has grown into a powerful partnership. Together they have moved roughly 113 shipments per month of vital supplies to disaster relief areas. In ShipStation Global, GGC has finally found a shipping advisor that can answer the call whenever needed and scale with them as their efforts grow.
ShipStation Global looks forward to helping further GGC's mission by continually optimizing its shipping operational speed, efficiency and effectiveness.
Emergency Shipping FAQs
Is it time to level-up your large-scale shipping?
ShipStation Global is an industry-leading 3PL that helps shippers of every size find the most effective and budget-friendly solutions for their freight and parcel shipping. Our team of passionate professionals ensures customers' unique shipping challenges and expectations are always met and exceeded.
ShipStation Global empowers shippers with a comprehensive range of shipping support, innovative technology and decades of industry expertise. Proactive, customized shipping solutions and incredible value for your shipping dollar are all part of the ShipStation Global experience.
Reach out to ShipStation Global today to learn how we can optimize your emergency shipping — or your everyday logistics.